New Year's Revolutions

[Twist_U_Up]

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/12/con03387.html

1. Speak the Truth, no matter how you are ridiculed or ostracized. Against war? Then say so, proudly. (After all, killing is immoral. Period. I do believe that.) Think the government has lied, but you support the troops? Then say so! (Most of them are caught in a quagmire not of their making.) Being against the government policy but concerned for those serving in the military are not mutually exclusive concepts. Don't believe the polls? Then say so, convincingly. Then speak your Truth, strongly, and back it up with the facts. Truth always wins, ALWAYS....eventually.

2. Question Authority, and Don't Stop!! Question the Media, the Polls, the "White House Spokesperson," the pundits and the pollsters, your brother-in-law. Be critical and skeptical and don't take their word for it. It's OK. You're smart. Most likely you're smarter than "they" are...they are just LOUDER. So use that brain and ask your questions and don't be afraid. Remember: they fear your questions.

3. Participate in a way that is new for you. Remember the anti-war protests of just a year ago? They were so exhilarating! I felt totally connected to those thousands of "strangers" marching in the streets with me. Branch out! Do what you dare not do......your Voice will be heard, somewhere, by someone. You simply do not know the impact your good intentions have on the planet....but you can be sure that your participation DOES MATTER!!!

4. Donate to a cause. The Democratic party. The Sierra Club. The ACLU. Amnesty International. Even a very small donation contributes to the cause. Your small pebble creates a ripple effect. It may seem insignificant, the amount you can give, but it does matter. And it feels SO good to part with that little bit of money you could have spent on a good bottle of wine or a fancy meal. Instead, it may help someone, somewhere, in some tiny way you will never realize. Life works in mysterious ways!

4. Vote Absentee Ballot. It's a small thing, but so important. When in doubt, don't trust the new technology (electronic voting machines). Write in your absentee ballot, lick the envelope, stick the stamp, and put it in the mailbox. It feels good and your vote stands a much better chance of being counted.

5. "Teach your children well."

6. Don't ever give up. Don't despair. If you give in to hopelessness, "they" will have won. Persist, be optimistic even when it seems that you are overwhelmed by the suffering and devastation you are reading about or watching every day on the television. The pendulum WILL swing towards Peace. It will....it must......(that's "Faith," I'm told).

7. Remember, most of all, to be Grateful for everything. There are millions so much more hungry, cold, poor, lonely or devastated. We truly are among the wealthiest people on this planet and can certainly spend our time or resources or our voices to help make it a better world for everyone else. Is that naive and optimistic? Am I a silly dreamer? Perhaps. There are worse things to be.

Happy New Year to everyone. May it bring Peace to us all.